Strengthening disaster preparedness and risk reduction
South Sudan is prone to natural hazards such as floods and droughts, so strengthening disaster preparedness and risk reduction is a priority.
Learning more about natural disasters -- when and where they occur, how often and how intense – assists in planning land use, protecting the environment and enhancing preparedness and public awareness.
UNESCO is working closely with partners to encourage disaster resilience and to build capacity in managing extreme hydrological conditions. Our integrated approach to managing floods and droughts at the river basin level includes developing early warning systems and implementing integrated water resource management. We are working with the government to establish a databank for meteorological information which will contribute to disaster preparedness and risk reduction.
Through the United Nations Hyogo Framework for Action on Disaster Resilience (2005-2015), we are providing technical advice and policy support to set up and operate for monitoring networks, early warning and risk mitigation systems for natural hazards, especially floods and drought.
Increasing resilience to floods in South Sudan
Floods, and the dangers they pose for people and their communities, are a major problem in South Sudan. In 2013, heavy rains damaged houses, crops and infrastructure in several of the country’s northern states. More than 150,000 people were affected, mostly in Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal, Warrap, Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei. Addressing the problems requires both emergency and developmental inputs.
As part of the International Floods Initiative, UNESCO held a national workshop on floods and water resources management to identify and build capacities. A national plan was prepared that looks at issues in holistic manner, while strengthening the country’s flood early warning system to ensure safe evacuation and resettlement for those affected.
Our team is exploring ways to provide early warnings via channels such as radio and text messages to communities in vulnerable areas. Authorities are keen to find ways to contact women face the most difficulties in finding food and shelter for their families in times of crisis.
In the current emergency, early warning systems can play a vital role for displaced people living in areas where they are unfamiliar with the local patterns of rain and rising river levels, especially if they find themselves living on marginal land.